1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,560 Speaker 1: Dear listener, before we start, we do mention suicide in 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: this piece, so take care. 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 2: Okay, hold this side again. Okay, I'm going to do 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 2: the meddle now, Okay. 5 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: Okay, this, dear listener is the sound of me getting 6 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: my eyebrows done. I know, I know you're like, what 7 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: what we do for beauty? 8 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 2: Right? Right? 9 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: The thing is, this is where the story first began 10 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: with me and Lisbeth. Thank God for threatening, because that's 11 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: how I met you. 12 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 2: Right oky, you can bring your hand down. 13 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: I met Lisbeth about two years ago when she was 14 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,480 Speaker 1: just nineteen years old. She was working as a brow 15 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: technician on the posh Upper West Side of Manhattan. And 16 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: at the time, Lisbeth, who's Dominican, was a new mom. 17 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: Her baby girl was only six months old. And I 18 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: remember the first time she threaded my eyebrows and that 19 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: we immediately clicked. We bonded over our love of Dominican culture. 20 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: We were talking about music, food, you know, all of it, 21 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: and well, I do love meeting young Latinas who are 22 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: tough New Yorkers, and that is Lisbeth. Hair already okay, good, yeah, 23 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: I get comfortable, are you okay? Yeah, Today's interview is 24 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: just for audio for radio, right, But Liz Beth has 25 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: got on a full face of makeup and all of 26 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 1: her bling. She says. Her outfit is her low effort 27 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: single mom. Look, it's a cozy matching sweatsuit. Oh hello, 28 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: you know pumpkin. 29 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 2: Hi. 30 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: And as we're getting ready to record our conversation in 31 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: the studio, Lisbeth pulls out her phone and shows me 32 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: photos and videos of her now to an a half 33 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: year old daughter. 34 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:03,559 Speaker 2: Oh look, this was the video of her hair. 35 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: My god, is she adorable? 36 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 2: Yeah? She called her grandpa life. But Paul, look at 37 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 2: my hair? 38 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: And you know me, dear, letting know Usay, listener, you 39 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 1: know that I love to start conversations with people wherever 40 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 1: I go, and I like to get deep. So two 41 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 1: years ago, there I was telling my brow technician, who 42 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,399 Speaker 1: I had just met, that I had come back recently 43 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: from reporting in Uvaldi, Texas, that I was feeling all 44 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 1: of this stress and pain and trauma from talking to 45 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: folks who lost loved ones in that tragic mass shooting 46 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,639 Speaker 1: in Uvaldi. And when I was telling her this story, 47 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 1: I noticed a serious change in these bets face. And 48 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: that is the reason why she's in the studio with 49 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: me today. 50 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 2: Like every time, I'm just like dang, only twenty one 51 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 2: and I've done live and lived the life already. 52 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: Because just weeks after Lisbeth's daughter was born in twenty 53 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: twenty two, and she was in the midst of dealing 54 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 1: with postpartum at just eighteen years old. Right at that 55 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: time is when lis Beth gets shot on a street 56 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: in Harlem, not once, but four times. It was an 57 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: event that would change her life entirely, from her personal relationships, 58 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 1: to her relationship with therapy, to everything that she understood 59 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: about being a young mom. And like that would be 60 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: enough to have Lizbeth come on and share her story 61 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: with us. But the thing is the most unexpected part 62 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: of all of this is that Lisbeth owes her survival 63 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: in large part to a very traditional Latina postpartum staple, 64 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: which is la faja or a girdle from Fudromedia and PRX. 65 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: It's Latino Usa. I'm Maria in no Josa, and today 66 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: we hear about a young Latina mom's journey of healing 67 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:19,159 Speaker 1: from gun violence and postpartum depression in a country where 68 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: there's little support for either, and also we'll talk all 69 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:31,479 Speaker 1: about La Faja. Now. I had heard snippets of Lisbeth's 70 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: story during the time that I would be seeing her 71 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: to get my brows done, but this is the first 72 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: time that we're actually sitting down to talk about what happened. 73 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,839 Speaker 2: It was like eight thirty one. I got off work. 74 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 2: My daughter's dad have picked me up from work, and 75 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 2: we have went back uptown to Harlem, where my parents were. 76 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: Lisbeth grew up on the same street as her best friend, 77 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:59,159 Speaker 1: Angelia or Angie for short, and all of this is 78 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:04,840 Speaker 1: happening in Harlem. Angie and Lizabeth were inseparable until Angie 79 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: moved to Virginia for college, and that's where she ended 80 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: up getting shot and killed. Angie, who was black, had 81 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: left the streets of Harlem, only to be killed at 82 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 1: a college house party in Virginia. 83 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 2: My best friend passed away on September fourth of twenty 84 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 2: twenty two, so every fourth of the month we would 85 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 2: do something to honor her, whether it was lighting up candles, 86 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:37,279 Speaker 2: releasing balloons, or just getting together. Usually it would be 87 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 2: on my block because me and her lived on the 88 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 2: same block. 89 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: But this time, in November of twenty twenty two, the 90 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: outdoor memorial for Angie was moved just four blocks away 91 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: to a friend's place. 92 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 2: Then I see this guy come in a pink bike, 93 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 2: which Angie's favorite color was pink, so he just had 94 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 2: like spray painted it and had a picture of her 95 00:05:59,240 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 2: on it. 96 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,600 Speaker 1: The guy on the pink bike was a friend of Angie's, 97 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: but Lizabeth didn't recognize him, and neither did Angie's mom. Now, 98 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: at this point, we're literally just a few minutes into 99 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:15,479 Speaker 1: our interview, But right when Lizabeth mentions this young man, 100 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: I can see her start to physically react. Right, she's 101 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 1: taking deeper breaths now, and her voice begins to waver 102 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: as she speaks. Just need a second, It's okay, babe, 103 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: take as long as you need. You want to tell 104 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:33,159 Speaker 1: me what you're feeling right now? 105 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 2: Anxiety a little bit? 106 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:43,279 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, because you're you're actually telling this story like 107 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:44,160 Speaker 1: in a formal way. 108 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:45,839 Speaker 2: Yeah. 109 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: My sense is that you've been thinking about this interview 110 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: for a while. Yeah, Am I right? Yes, it's not like, oh, 111 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,480 Speaker 1: it's just another day I have to go. Do you've 112 00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: been anxious about this for a while? Yes, I'm so sorry. 113 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: It's okay, I asked lisbith if she wants to stop 114 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: or if she wants to talk about something else. But 115 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 1: she looks at me with this determination, right, and she says, no, no, no, 116 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 1: let's keep going. She wants to keep talking about that 117 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: precise moment at her best friend's memorial. 118 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 2: I am talking with Angie's mom and two other mutual friends. 119 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 2: And then next thing you know, I look across the 120 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 2: street and I see two guys with ski mask. But 121 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 2: by the time I kind of noticed it was too late. 122 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 2: It was like I looked and then boom, I was 123 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 2: on the floor. 124 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: The men started shooting towards her direction. They were targeting 125 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: that young guy on the pink bike. 126 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 2: At first, I was like, did I get shot? Is 127 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 2: that why I'm on the floor or am I just 128 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 2: in shock right now? And then I started feeling excruciating 129 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 2: pain all in my left body, and I was just like, no, 130 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 2: this is not a shot. My blood was like boiling inside. 131 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 1: Lizabeth had been shot. She had four gunshot wounds, one 132 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: in her chest, one in her back, and two in 133 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: her arm. 134 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:28,080 Speaker 2: We were there for about forty minutes. I'm sorry what 135 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 2: it took the ambulance about forty minutes to get there. 136 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 1: Four zero minutes. 137 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 2: Yes, in Manhattan, So the hospital and the precinct were 138 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,320 Speaker 2: one avenue away from each other and eight blocks away 139 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 2: from where this happened. 140 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: Oh my god. 141 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 2: And when the police officers finally got there, they walked 142 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 2: to me, they thought I was already dead. 143 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:04,120 Speaker 1: Oh my god. These beds didn't bleed out, and that's 144 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 1: mostly because of what she was wearing. 145 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 2: I had a faha which is a waist strainer, because 146 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 2: I was two months postpartum. You know, I was just 147 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 2: trying to help my body bounce back after having my baby. 148 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: Now, it's not an uncommon thing, especially if you're a Latina. 149 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 1: You know, you give birth and then you get wrapped 150 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 1: up almost immediately in a kind of girdle that goes 151 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: around your waist and it just kind of tightens you up. 152 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:35,959 Speaker 2: Once I get in the ambulance, they're like ripping my 153 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 2: clothes apart. And then one of the emt she was 154 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 2: a Hispanic girl, and she sees that I have a 155 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 2: fah on and everybody's like, what is that, and she's like, well, 156 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 2: she did mention that she had a baby two months ago, 157 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 2: and our culture is very common for you to have 158 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:56,680 Speaker 2: a faha on after you have a baby. My faja 159 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 2: was extremely thick, Like I paid almost one hundred dollar 160 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 2: for that faha in Washington Heights. It had to be 161 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 2: like almost this thick, about an inch, and it was 162 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 2: something that I didn't even know how I could last 163 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 2: my whole workshift with that thing on without suffocating because 164 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 2: it was tay. 165 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: So you're smiling, no, now you're now you're smiling. 166 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:23,600 Speaker 2: They're like fighting with the scissor, trying to get through it, 167 00:10:23,679 --> 00:10:28,960 Speaker 2: and then they take it off and the girls like what, 168 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 2: Like nobody really believe what they were seeing because they 169 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 2: see me with four bullet holes and no blood. She 170 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:45,320 Speaker 2: was like, literally like what the fuck? It's like, you 171 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 2: guys are not understanding right now. 172 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,720 Speaker 1: Of course I knew all about these facs. I mean, 173 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 1: it's pretty serious stuff. And when I had my daughter, 174 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: I don't remember how, oh, but a fajha made its 175 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 1: way to me from my family's home in Mexico so 176 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:06,839 Speaker 1: that I could wear it. And my mom wore her 177 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:10,560 Speaker 1: own version of the faja and got wrapped up after 178 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,600 Speaker 1: she had me and my siblings. So it's like something 179 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:15,319 Speaker 1: that you don't really think about a lot. It's kind 180 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 1: of like, you know, the FAA's going to help you. 181 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,320 Speaker 1: But never in my life could I have imagined that 182 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:24,720 Speaker 1: a faha would end up saving someone's life like literally, 183 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:26,959 Speaker 1: And neither did Li's bed. 184 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 2: They were surprised because the girl just kept saying, if 185 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:34,680 Speaker 2: she would have never had this fahan, she would have 186 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:39,679 Speaker 2: bled and died because the biggest wound that I have 187 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,840 Speaker 2: is right here, and it's between the front of my 188 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 2: chest and the back, which also is right through the 189 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 2: spleen and your lung. God forbid, I wouldn't have had 190 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 2: the fahan. It would have went straight from my spleen 191 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:59,560 Speaker 2: to my lung and that's it. Yeah, I had a 192 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,200 Speaker 2: fah on. But a gun is a gun. A bullet 193 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 2: hole is a bullet hole. It's not like I have 194 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 2: a what's those things with a bulletproof vest? 195 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 1: When we come back these, Beth explains the daily consequences 196 00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:20,199 Speaker 1: of being a survivor of gun violence, and she takes 197 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 1: us on her path to find strength from the shooting. 198 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: Stay with us, Yes, Hey, we're back. So Whendy's Beth 199 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,679 Speaker 1: was shot two years ago. She was wearing a paha 200 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: it's a girdle, and it literally saved her life. 201 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 2: If I would have known that my faha would have 202 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 2: saved me. I wouldn't have overthought so much while I 203 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 2: was laying on that ground. 204 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:01,520 Speaker 1: I mean, you would have having a different kind of conversation. 205 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:06,600 Speaker 2: Okay, okay, God, I see the point now, but thank you. 206 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,680 Speaker 2: You know. But no, like I was really scared, and 207 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:14,160 Speaker 2: it wasn't even because I was scared of losing my life. 208 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 2: I wasn't even thinking about myself. Everyone that touched me 209 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 2: that night knew that I had a two month old 210 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:25,360 Speaker 2: back home, because that's all I kept pleading, Please don't 211 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:28,840 Speaker 2: let me die. My baby's waiting for me. Like she's 212 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,959 Speaker 2: only two months. I haven't even experienced her that long. 213 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:36,160 Speaker 2: And I feel like she really saved me in so 214 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 2: many different ways that I would have never thought where's Lea. 215 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:49,560 Speaker 2: And now that it's like two years later, now I 216 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 2: really understand. If I would have never had her, I 217 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:56,719 Speaker 2: would have never been wearing a f aha. If I 218 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 2: wouldn't had her, I don't think I would have made 219 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,800 Speaker 2: it out that dark place that I was in. What 220 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:08,480 Speaker 2: is the most beautiful girl in the world. Oh, gimme keyses, 221 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:10,960 Speaker 2: gimme kisses. 222 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: The layers of mental health struggles Lise Beth went through 223 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: after being shot. It was a lot. Not only did 224 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 1: she develop intense emotional trauma from the shooting, she had 225 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, but she was also 226 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 1: a new mom coping with postpartum anxiety and depression. Even 227 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: for moms who don't struggle so much with postpartum, it's 228 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,200 Speaker 1: still a period that's already a fragile moment in a 229 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: woman's life. And these are two issues that, frankly often 230 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 1: go overlooked. In the United States. There aren't many resources 231 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 1: or services specifically dedicated to mental health needs, no matter 232 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: if it's for new moms or survivors of gun violence, 233 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: and both of these issues are not easy to talk about, 234 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,280 Speaker 1: so it can end up feeling very lonely. 235 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 2: Growing up, mental health was not something that we talked about. 236 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 2: It was always, Oh, what are you sad for? You 237 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 2: have a roof over your head, you have both of 238 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 2: your parents, you have food. Nothing's wrong. You shouldn't be crying. 239 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,440 Speaker 2: You shouldn't be feeling like this. We grew up on survival. 240 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:32,880 Speaker 2: We didn't grow up on love. We came from a 241 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 2: really really poor campo in the dominicure public where you know, 242 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 2: it was days where there was nothing. 243 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: And that survival mindset that she learned in the dr 244 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: it stayed with her when she and her family came 245 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 1: to the United States when Lee's Beth was seven years old. 246 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: Then in her early teens, these Beth began struggling with anxiety. 247 00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,400 Speaker 1: She was just about to go into high school, the 248 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 1: only one of her siblings to end up doing that, 249 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: and that put a lot of pressure on her not 250 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: to fail, especially from her parents. She said the anxiety 251 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: attacks sometimes got so overwhelming that she'd end up blacking out, 252 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: and through it all she felt entirely misunderstood by her parents. 253 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 2: They're like, we don't know what you're talking about. They 254 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 2: thought that it was just like, oh, you know, these 255 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 2: American kids, once they come here, they get so sensitive. 256 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 1: And that's a common feeling for a lot of immigrant families, 257 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: like even acknowledging mental health issues exist can be challenging, 258 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: let alone having a meaningful, open, calm conversation about it. 259 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 1: You see, many first generation kids grow up with immigrant 260 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 1: parents who were raised in essence hiding their emotional struggles, 261 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:55,480 Speaker 1: and they want their kids to be grateful for the 262 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: opportunities that they have in the United States and to 263 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,880 Speaker 1: not complain about their feelings, so it wasn't easy for 264 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,920 Speaker 1: Lisbeth to talk about all of this with her family. 265 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:09,200 Speaker 1: But then one day, when Lisbeth was seventeen, just after 266 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 1: she'd graduated high school, things got really bad. These Beth 267 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: had a severe anxiety attack at home. She was throwing up, 268 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:21,359 Speaker 1: she couldn't stop shaking, she couldn't stop crying. And that 269 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 1: was when her parents finally took her seriously. 270 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:29,360 Speaker 2: They really were like, I'm so sorry that you've had 271 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:31,439 Speaker 2: to deal with this, and we didn't know. 272 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 1: But even after that incident, these Beth didn't get professional help. 273 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 1: It wasn't until her shooting about two years later that 274 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:44,280 Speaker 1: Lisbeth finally considered therapy. 275 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 2: I will wake up every day at the same time, 276 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:52,640 Speaker 2: having the same nightmare over and over again, hyperventilating, thinking 277 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:57,160 Speaker 2: I was seeing blood on me and feeling extremely scared. 278 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:01,359 Speaker 2: I just kept living the same snai over and over 279 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:10,480 Speaker 2: and over and over again. I was like having voices 280 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:15,000 Speaker 2: in my head and I wouldn't come out my room 281 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 2: because I felt like someone was after me and my baby, 282 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 2: to the point where I wouldn't sleep. I was scared 283 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 2: to like be away from her any second. I will 284 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,720 Speaker 2: have the same thought every day just like I'm not 285 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:35,680 Speaker 2: good enough. What am I here for? I have no family, 286 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,840 Speaker 2: I have nobody. I feel so alone, nobody cares for me. 287 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 2: I'll be better not here. I would put a lighter 288 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 2: to like my leg to kind of like feel something, 289 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,120 Speaker 2: to kind of bring me back. Like, girl, you kind 290 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 2: of taken it too far. It's not back. You cannot 291 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:00,399 Speaker 2: just abandon your child and harm yourself. 292 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:12,880 Speaker 1: For young Latinas in the United States, struggling with mental 293 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:17,480 Speaker 1: health is very real, and the data shows it. More 294 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:22,160 Speaker 1: than one in four Latina teenagers has had suicidal thoughts. 295 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: And for Li's Beth, who was only nineteen at the time, 296 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:31,280 Speaker 1: these thoughts became constant and they were weighing really heavily 297 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:35,200 Speaker 1: on her. And so whenever these Beth had moments that 298 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:39,439 Speaker 1: basically snapped her out of this hopeless void. It was 299 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:40,879 Speaker 1: when she would think about her baby. 300 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,880 Speaker 2: That was kind of like bursting the bubble, like admitting 301 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:48,439 Speaker 2: to myself, I'm suicidal. I need you to help me. 302 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:52,119 Speaker 1: She had the number of a therapist office on a 303 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 1: post it note that she had taped on her door, 304 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:58,200 Speaker 1: and it was there for weeks, but finally, one day, 305 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,919 Speaker 1: three months after the show, shooting. Lisbeth picked up the 306 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 1: phone and made the call to book an appointment. 307 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:09,880 Speaker 2: The lady is like, the wait is not until July. 308 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:15,359 Speaker 2: I said, ma'am, can I tell you something please? She's like, yeah, 309 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:18,720 Speaker 2: of course. I was like, I got shot three months ago, 310 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,439 Speaker 2: four times. I am gone also through a post part 311 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 2: of depression. I have a five month old baby, and 312 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 2: I also have extreme PTSD right now, so I would really, really, 313 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,960 Speaker 2: really really appreciate you if you can help me. She's like, oh, 314 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 2: I'm so sorry. Let me see if I can transfer 315 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:41,439 Speaker 2: you somewhere else. And then she transferred me to a 316 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:47,600 Speaker 2: trauma department and they squeezed me into the list. A 317 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:49,680 Speaker 2: week later, I had a therapist. 318 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,360 Speaker 1: Remember when I told you about tough Latina and New Yorkers. 319 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 1: You see, that's what I'm talking about. But when it 320 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:00,760 Speaker 1: came time to go to that first appointment, and she 321 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 1: was hesitant the thought of opening up about her struggles 322 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 1: to a complete stranger. I mean it terrified her until 323 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: she got to that first session and she saw the 324 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,639 Speaker 1: man who was going to be her therapist, and it 325 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:15,520 Speaker 1: changed everything. 326 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,640 Speaker 2: He looked just like my dad, and he had such 327 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:24,640 Speaker 2: a like soft energy. He also grew up in Harlem, 328 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,440 Speaker 2: and the little girl and me was like, you can 329 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,720 Speaker 2: open up, you can tell him these things, this is 330 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:32,680 Speaker 2: what he's here for. 331 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:37,520 Speaker 1: And this was life changing for at least bit. Knowing 332 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:41,880 Speaker 1: she was brave enough to have those conversations actually made 333 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:46,479 Speaker 1: her look forward to every therapy session every week. 334 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 2: My therapist taught me about box breathing. It's like a 335 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 2: form of meditation. He was just like, you know, close 336 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:58,120 Speaker 2: your eyes, relax, try to not hear any of the 337 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 2: outside noise, and just act like you're connecting the dots 338 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:07,720 Speaker 2: in a box and you're breathing in and out as 339 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:10,400 Speaker 2: you go. So let's say we're here. 340 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: These bed points her index finger at an imaginary spot 341 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:14,640 Speaker 1: in front of her. 342 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:20,360 Speaker 2: You'll breathe in, breathe out, and then you stay at 343 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:20,920 Speaker 2: that point. 344 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: She draws an imaginary line to another point horizontally. 345 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,760 Speaker 2: And then you go back again breathe in, breathe. 346 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:33,560 Speaker 1: Out, and then another one going down, and then you 347 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: go to the other point and she completes this square 348 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:40,640 Speaker 1: with her finger and she's taking deep breaths. 349 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:43,640 Speaker 2: You can do four, you can do eight, you can 350 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 2: do as many as you need to calm yourself and 351 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:55,040 Speaker 2: get into more of a Okay, I'm feeling, I'm breathing, 352 00:22:56,119 --> 00:23:00,120 Speaker 2: I'm gonna be okay. 353 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 1: None of this would be happening, like you would not 354 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,119 Speaker 1: have found therapy that allows you to have come up 355 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:13,520 Speaker 1: with these coping mechanisms that allow you to basically live 356 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 1: on a daily basis. We wouldn't be sitting in this 357 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:22,359 Speaker 1: studio for a national audience hearing your story were it 358 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,960 Speaker 1: not for the fact that you got shot. How do 359 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: you put that together? 360 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:31,240 Speaker 2: Honestly, when this first happened, I was just in such 361 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:34,040 Speaker 2: a dark place and I was like, Wow, why would 362 00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:37,160 Speaker 2: God torture me like this? Why would you keep me here? 363 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 2: What am I supposed to look forward to? And now 364 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:45,320 Speaker 2: I am like, okay, yes I got shot. 365 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 1: It was therapy that helped Lisbeth finally start to move forward. 366 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:54,040 Speaker 1: It gave her the clarity to leave a relationship that 367 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,000 Speaker 1: wasn't great, and it gave her the strength to take 368 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:01,160 Speaker 1: on being a single mom at just nineteen. Slowly, Li's 369 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:04,840 Speaker 1: bed began to rebuild her life and her confidence. 370 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:10,919 Speaker 2: I got an amazing promotion at my job, seeing my 371 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:14,679 Speaker 2: daughter grow to be such a beautiful, smart little girl. 372 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:27,480 Speaker 2: Let's count in Spanish? Oh no, yes, good job. And 373 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:33,320 Speaker 2: it's like, if only I could just hug myself from 374 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,800 Speaker 2: two years ago and just tell myself, girl, you don't 375 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:40,720 Speaker 2: even know none of this is gonna matter. In two 376 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:44,439 Speaker 2: years I would have never believed her because I'm like, 377 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 2: there's no way this is getting better. And it did, 378 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:51,080 Speaker 2: and it got so much better because it made me 379 00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:56,679 Speaker 2: such a different person. I see life completely different, I 380 00:24:56,720 --> 00:25:02,879 Speaker 2: see motherhood completely different because I'm here because I wanted 381 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 2: to be the best version of myself for her. 382 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: I gotta say, like, I'm really loving this moment of 383 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:18,480 Speaker 1: Lizbeth being in the chair in the studio and I 384 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:21,360 Speaker 1: get a chance to see all of her strength, all 385 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: of the confidence that she's built up, even as she 386 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:28,600 Speaker 1: takes me to the worst moment in her life. But 387 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,960 Speaker 1: part of that journey for Lisad has also been learning 388 00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:36,880 Speaker 1: how to protect herself and how to prioritize her safety. So, 389 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 1: for instance, she recently moved out of Harlem and she's 390 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: now living in New Jersey. Unfortunately, the thing about PTSD 391 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:56,560 Speaker 1: is that the trauma doesn't stay in the past, and 392 00:25:56,600 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: it doesn't stay in one place. It often follows you 393 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,760 Speaker 1: no matter where you go. So one small trigger, whether 394 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,880 Speaker 1: it's a sound or a smell, or just a feeling. 395 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,240 Speaker 1: It can snap you back to that moment, to the 396 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 1: exact time and place of your trauma. This bed is 397 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:16,320 Speaker 1: always scanning her surroundings. 398 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:20,560 Speaker 2: That experience has just made me be on my ten 399 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 2: toes about everything and just listen. You want to cut 400 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:29,440 Speaker 2: the line, cut the line, I don't care. You want 401 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:32,520 Speaker 2: to go ahead, go ahead, I'll give you the pass 402 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:36,920 Speaker 2: to drive. You want my seat, take it. But it's 403 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:41,080 Speaker 2: not worth getting into an argument. You don't even know 404 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 2: where that person's mental health is at. They're ready to 405 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:46,359 Speaker 2: risk at all. You just don't know. 406 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 1: Also, because you're not wearing the fa anymore. 407 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,119 Speaker 2: You know, It's so funny because after I had gotten shot, 408 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:55,480 Speaker 2: I kept wearing my Fah. I got a new one 409 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:57,520 Speaker 2: and I kept wearing it. But it wasn't in the 410 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 2: same attempt. It was more like, this is my bulletproof. 411 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:04,440 Speaker 2: And you know, like my coworkers they knew about it, 412 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:08,240 Speaker 2: and they're like, this is not funny, Like you're messed 413 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:11,720 Speaker 2: up in the head. And I'm like, guys, laugh, laugh, 414 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:13,880 Speaker 2: it's funny. 415 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:17,480 Speaker 1: Please, that is your bullet yes, and you're proud. 416 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:20,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm like, listen, I'm very proud if it was me. 417 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 2: I'll swing this up baha all through because oh my God, 418 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:30,960 Speaker 2: whoever created it, I gotta thank you too, because you 419 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:32,400 Speaker 2: got some good stuff in there. 420 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:54,879 Speaker 1: This episode was produced by New Saudi. It was edited 421 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: by our managing editor. It was mixed by Leah Shaw 422 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:04,159 Speaker 1: damar On. The Latino USA team also include Roxanna Guire, 423 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:10,120 Speaker 1: Julia Caruso, Felicia Dominguez, Jessica Ellis, Victori Estrada, Dominique, Ineestrosa, 424 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: Renaldo Leanoz Junior, Stephanie Lebou, Andrea Lopez, Gruzsado, Luis Luna 425 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:20,960 Speaker 1: Marta Martinez, Bonica Morealis, Garcia, Jjkrubin, Tasha Sandoval and Nancy Trujillo, 426 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 1: Venille Ramirez, Marlon Bishop, Maria Garcia and I are co 427 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:28,119 Speaker 1: executive producers and I'm your host, Mariano Josa. Join us 428 00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:30,560 Speaker 1: again for our next episode. In the meantime, I'll see 429 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:37,040 Speaker 1: you on social media, especially on Instagram. Iyatu savez not mayus. 430 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 2: Latino USA is made possible in part by La Tau Foundation, 431 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:52,479 Speaker 2: New York Women's Foundation. The New York Women's Foundation funding 432 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 2: women leaders that build solutions in their communities and celebrating 433 00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:01,520 Speaker 2: thirty years of radical generosity and funding for Latino usa 434 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,640 Speaker 2: is Coverage of a culture of health is made possible 435 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 2: in part by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson 436 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:07,600 Speaker 2: Foundation